Aleisha

Aleisha is one of the novel's primary characters. She is a 17-year-old girl living in Wembley, England with her mother, Leilah, and her brother, Aidan. Although she resides with family, Aleisha often feels alone. Her obligations to help her brother support the family and to care for her mother keep her from fostering and sustaining friendships. Although her former friends from school often ask her to join their gatherings, Aleisha almost always declines. She feels guilty for not being at home for her brother and mother, even if her presence there often feels superfluous or unhelpful.

At the start of the novel, Aleisha gets a job at the local Harrow Road Library for summer break. The job does not excite her. She finds the library's quietness boring and disengaging. She has no interest in books or reading, and therefore is not eager to invest in her work or...